Mobile Networks and IoT
How did we get from 2G text messages to 5G video calls?
- Compare 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G
- Define IoT
- Give a PNG example of each
Overview
Mobile networks doubled their speed roughly every generation. Along the way they stopped being just for calls and became the backbone of daily life — banking, business, learning. IoT extends the same idea to non-phone devices.
Generations
2G: voice and SMS. 3G: web browsing, basic video. 4G/LTE: HD video, real-time apps, mobile money. 5G: near-fibre speed and very low latency — useful for smart farms, factories, and augmented reality.
The Internet of Things
IoT means everyday devices connected to the Internet — sensors, meters, cameras, tractors, medical monitors. In PNG, IoT sensors in a coffee plantation could report rainfall and soil moisture back to a co-op's dashboard.
Speed Timeline
- Draw a timeline from 1990 to today with 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G labelled.
- Under each, write one everyday activity it enabled (SMS, web, video call, IoT).
- Which generation first enabled mobile video calls comfortably?
Reveal answer
4G.
- Give one PNG IoT use case.
Reveal answer
Smart-agriculture sensors, smart meters, remote health monitoring (any).
- Why does 5G matter for real-time apps?
Reveal answer
Very low latency, close to fibre performance.
Check your phone's status bar. Which generation is it on now? Try a different location and see if it changes.